There is hardly a single simple definition for them. They are not a nationality or religion, they do not represent a political party or movement and there is still no unanimous agreement between historians and anthropologists that the Cossacks are.
In Wikipedia it is defined as «the militaristic communities of various ethnicities living in the steppes of Ukraine, as well as southern Russia. " Briefly described, the Cossacks They are free or adventurous men.In fact, their name is derived from Turkish Qasaq, which means exactly that.
There are also different versions about the origin of the Cossacks. According to some historians, the Cossacks in Russia and Ukraine were the men who lived freely in the outlying neighborhoods. Usually it was the servants who had fled to find their own freedom.
The government tried to find and punish them, but the number of people in the race became so great that it was impossible to catch them all and soon the state had to surrender and recognize the newly created communities on its borders.
The first self-governing of these warrior Cossack communities were formed in the 15th century (or, according to some sources, in the 13th century) in the Dnieper and the Don River regions. Tatar, German, Turkish Cossacks and other nationalities were also accepted into their communities, but there was one condition - that they had to believe in Christ. Once accepted into the community, they stopped being German, Russian or Ukrainian - they became Cossacks.
The Cossacks had their own elected chief, named Ataman, who had executive powers and was commander-in-chief during the war. Rada (the whole of the band), held the legislative powers. Senior officers were called starshina and the Cossack settlements were called stanitsas. The Cossacks were named for their geographic location. Some of the most famous were the Zaporozhians, Don, and the Kuban Cossacks.